Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,
While my profession has called me away from Taylorsville, the majority of my family still lives there and I am kept up on the events of my beloved hometown. There were two bits of news that I received recently that caused me to be both sad and concerned. The first was the death of town councilman Bob Phillips. Bob had served our town proudly for so many years and his influence will be missed in the years to come.
The second was the decision by the town council to call for a vote on the selling of liquor by the drink within the city limits of our town. Some people, in defense of this policy, will say that there are financial benefits to be gained and that those who stand against this are simply doing so on “religious grounds”. Both of those facts may be true to an extent, but why would we want to ruin the innocence of our town simply to gain a few dollars in our town budget? I have heard claim that this will bring in nicer restaurants. Which ones? Why are we not giving our patronage to hometown restaurants? Most of the large chain restaurants (i.e. Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Chili’s, etc.) look for much larger markets than our town, and that isn’t going to change with liquor by the drink. There is also the downside to allowing access to alcoholic beverages, people drink and then get behind the wheel of their car. Right now, with our alcoholic beverage laws, a person can drink in their own home and not be on the road. With the passage of this law, there will be people driving after drinking, even if they are not above the legal level. Why would we want to allow this? The final question we have to ask is “where does this stop?” What will we allow in the future? What measures are in the future that will further take our town away from the place I was proud to grow up in. Growing up I always imagined coming back and raising my family like I was raised. I saw myself returning to the town I love, where there was a safe, friendly environment for my wife and kids. Is that dream slipping away? This would clearly be the start. Yes, people of faith should oppose this measure, but the opposition should be broader than that. No person who truly loves our town can support the Town Council’s proposal.

Rev. Micheal S. Pardue
Senior Pastor, High Shoal Baptist Church
Henrietta, NC
www.michealpardue.com